|
A Smoke Pole Hunt to Remember!!!
It was December 16th
After filling my Archery tag during archery
season , And Then again filling my Tags during Shotgun Season, I decided to give Black powder season a whirl. I was hunting
In Wyoming Co. NY at a neighbors farm down from my brothers house which borders the oppisite end of the town Reserviour
, My cabin is located on . There is a very healthy deer herd there & has been for quite a few years now in & around
that whole area. My brothers & two nephews decided that day to hunt one of the parcels of state land in Wyo. Co. A few
miles from where he lived. I told them I had seen on a couple of occassions some deer That I had spotted and a nice
buck hanging with a couple of doe's, so I was going to stay & hunt that area. As I was getting dressed while having coffee
, My brothers phone rang , I answered it was Johnny, the neighbor who's property I was about to head down to . Johnny asked
Wally are you still planning on hunting here today? I said yes was just fixing to head out there. He informed me then, that
while out in the barn upon going back to the house, he spotted a really big buck along with a few doe's heading down his back
pasture towards a thicket that lead to a swamp near the reserviour, where his sons had treestands set up. I told him
I'd be right down in a few min. So I finished getting dressed & drank my coffee , Grabbed my thermos & headed
out back through my brothers property, down towards Johnny's. It was about 6:45 as I passed Johnny's barn. I met up with him
heading back to his house & stopped a minute, to ask him where abouts the deer entered the swamp / thicket. He pointed
in the direction where he saw them enter & said The Buck appeared to be a Very nice one sparring a decent rack. Johnny
& his sons didn't hunt Blackpowder season, they only hunted Archery & Shotgun Seasons. I thought it was aweful nice
of him to call & even let me know he had seen these deer & very Thankful as well. we then parted way's he
wished me luck !
As I approached the area he spotted the deer enter the
thicket. I came upon their tracks leading in to where Johnny & Myself figured the deer may bed down. There was
about 6 inches of snow, & 3 or so of that was fresh from the night before. The wind was right in my face, so I decided
to make a wider circle around towards the treestands him & his sons had set up all hand made. I called them (Cadillac Stands) very well constructed. Anyway I proceded
to climb into one that was closest to the area the deer went in . It was now approx 7:15 or so. It was cloudy & overcast
with a light snow still falling , But the winds were light & steady. About 7:45 I heard an unmistakable Boom!!! Obviously
from a smoke pole off in the distance. Then it was fairly quite for a time. About an hour later I heard a snap of what sounded
like a limb etc. looked behind me & 3 doe's were headed right past my stand about 25 yrds away. I raised my muzzleloader But
seen just the doe's . I wanted to hold out as it was still early however, that gave me just the adreanalin pump I needed to
warm back up again. It was about 8:50 or so when I decided to give my rattle bag a try. So I gave out about a 20 to 30 second
sequence of rattling & then grabbed (The Can made By Primo's) & gave out three bleats with it . It remained silent
for about 10 or so minutes . When I looked straight out in front of me , heading right out of the swamp thicket directly
towards my stand location, which was about 25 yrds from a heavily traveled deer trail. There the 3 Big doe's &
to the side of them about 10 yards back . I seen a very nice racked buck heading right along the inside of that thicket
about 18 yards or so behind the doe's. The Does were Very cautious as they approached the trail along side my location I only
hoped I had covered my scent trail enough so I wasn't busted by the doe's, before having a shot opportunity at the buck .
I Sholdered my Knight rifle, glanced through the scope at the buck for a better look, Man he was a Bruiser!!! I thought to
myself as I started shaking with anticipation!! I watched the heavy bodied buck trail the doe's from a short distance
behind them. Finally the buck came to an opening which crossed over the deer trail, leaving me a beautiful shot opportunity
at about 45 yards. I placed the crosshairs from the scope right on the bucks shoulder, & Squeezed
off a shot!!!!!BOOM the shot sounded like a bomb went off in the stand, And when the smoke cleared, I looked &
saw the big buck just as he fell not 30 yards from where I had shot at him !!! Man!!! I was beside myself shaking was
not even the word I can use to describe the adreanilin rush going through my veins at that instant. After several minutes
I managed to calm down enough to get down out of the stand & walk over to take a better look at the beautiful Buck I
had just scored. Upon walking up to the buck OMG, I thought!!! he was twice the size I had imagined him to be from where I
had shot at him. I knew he was big but seeing him close up was mind blowing to say the least . After several minutes I heard
Johnny start his tractor & it sounded as if he was heading my way. Within minutes he was & upon seeing the 8-
pointer he could hardly believe it himself. He went on to congratulate me, I was so thankful to him & offered him some
of the buck , He said no thankfully as his freezer was full from archery & shotgun as well. I had already field dressed
the buck pryor to his arrival, So he offered to run me & the buck back to my brother George's house , I accepted &
said thanks once again to Johnny, He was a great Guy who has sinced passed away this year . Johnny will be missed greatly
by all who had the pleasure of knowing him. Including myself & brothers Geaorge & Bob & all his friends
& neighbors. May You Rest in Peace My friend!!!.Later that day My Two Brothers & nephews upon returning home were
very happy I had scored the big buck. As well we slit the jawbone & determined the bucks age to be just at or a little
over 4 years old . He was around 220 lbs on the hoof. Black Powder opportunities around various area's of NY offer awesome
hunting opportunities, as its really just becomming more n more of a sport with the extra chance to bag a deer in Decemeber.
With a deer herd as healthy as NY offers I look foward to many more hunts , And with a little luck along the way Mabye I'll
have another chance at a deer of a lifetime as was this buck. It made my entire 2005 season overall another hunting Memory
I will certainly never forget anytime soon nor will my friends & family!!! I Hope you enjoyed this hunt with me As I did
sharing & reliving it with you's
Until Next Time May You
Have A Great Safe Hunt!!!& May You Bag The Deer Of A Lifetime!!!
Wally 
|
